Description
Moist, warmly spiced Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins with a sweet cream cheese swirl and optional buttery streusel topping — an easy, bakery-style fall treat.
Ingredients
1 (15-oz) can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 ounces full-fat cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup granulated sugar (for filling)
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (for filling)
1/3 cup all-purpose flour (for streusel, optional)
1/4 cup packed brown sugar (for streusel, optional)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (for streusel, optional)
Pinch of salt (for streusel, optional)
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
2. Make the streusel (optional): stir flour, brown sugar, and salt together, then mix in melted butter with a fork until crumbly. Set aside.
3. Make the cream cheese swirl: beat softened cream cheese, sugar, egg yolk, and vanilla until smooth with no lumps.
4. Mix the muffin batter: whisk pumpkin puree, both sugars, oil, eggs, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla, and salt until smooth and glossy.
5. Add the dry ingredients: sprinkle flour, baking soda, and salt over the wet mixture and fold gently just until no dry streaks remain.
6. Fill muffin cups about 3/4 full with pumpkin batter.
7. Add the cream cheese swirl: spoon about a tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture on top of each muffin and swirl in with a toothpick.
8. Top with streusel, if using, pressing lightly so it sticks.
9. Bake for 5 minutes at 425°F, then reduce oven temperature to 350°F and continue baking 18-20 minutes more, until a toothpick inserted into the pumpkin part comes out clean.
10. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before serving.
Notes
Store in the refrigerator due to the cream cheese filling; keeps up to 5 days in an airtight container.
Freezes well for up to 2 months when wrapped individually.
Use full-fat brick-style cream cheese for the best swirl texture — low-fat or whipped versions can turn watery when baked.
- Prep Time: 18 minutes
- Cook Time: 22 minutes
- Category: Breakfast, Muffins
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 muffin
- Calories: 300 kcal
- Sugar: 21g
- Sodium: 210mg
- Fat: 15g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 37g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 4g
- Cholesterol: 55mg